SPARKS are likely to fly from the very start of Ipswich Town's crunch home game against Swansea City on Saturday.

And that's because Swans charismatic boss, Paulo Sousa, is planning a raid on Town's brittle defence.

SPARKS are likely to fly from the very start of Ipswich Town's crunch home game against Swansea City on Saturday.

And that's because Swans charismatic boss, Paulo Sousa, is planning a raid on Town's brittle defence.

Sousa believes that all the pressure will be heaped on Town - Roy Keane's men are still searching for their first win of the season after 11 Championship fixtures.

“When the pressure is on, you need to create more pressure from the start of a game,” insisted Sousa in his pre-match press conference ahead of his weekend jaunt to Suffolk.

The former Portugal star (51 caps) is looking to exploit Town's lack of confidence, as well as their defensive frailties. So Town have been warned!

“The situation at Ipswich can affect the game a lot,” explained Sousa.

“If people are under pressure, that means there is also pressure on the players, and when that is the case we must try to profit from that.

“Ipswich have scored goals this season. That shows you are strong, but they have also conceded goals and that's why there is pressure,” added Sousa.

Conceding early goals has certainly been a problem for Town in recent games. In fact, their last three away games, all in Yorkshire, featured early goals for the opposition.

Doncaster Rovers striker Waide Fairhurst netted after 12 minutes in the 3-3 draw at the Keepmoat Stadium; Sheffield United front-man Darius Henderson bundled home a 10th minute opener in another 3-3 draw at Bramall Lane; and Iain Hume broke the deadlock after just eight minutes in Barnsley's 2-1 win over Town in their last outing.

Ex-QPR boss Sousa, who only lasted 26 games at Loftus Road, was appointed Swansea manager following Roberto Martinez's switch to Wigan Athletic over the summer.

After a slow start, the Welsh club have picked up and are currently on an unbeaten run stretching to five games.

They are currently nine points clear of Town, who are rock bottom with just five points. Town were also embarrassed by Championship leaders Newcastle United in their last home game, crashing to a 4-0 defeat in front of the BBC TV cameras.

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